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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Jessica Sansome

Manchester Britain's Got Talent winner Jon Courtenay kept cancer diagnosis a secret as he 'didn't want to be sob story'

Britain's Got Talent winner Jon Courtenay kept cancer battle a secret on the show as he 'didn't want to be sob story'.

The musical comedian, who was crowned the winner of the ITV show in October, opened up on Monday's This Morning after the revelation he has been fighting skin cancer.

Jon eventually visited a doctor after spotting an odd-looking mole on his head and was later diagnosed just weeks before the live BGT final.

Thankfully, following a successful operation, he's now been given the all clear and spoke to Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby about why he kept his health scare away from the show.

"I know BGT are making a TV show and it's almost a cliche that people have these sob stories.

"I didn't want to be that. I wanted it be about how I finally got this break in my career after all these years. It would have detracted from that.

"I also didn't want it made public to family and friends."

Jon, 48, was told days before filming started on the BGT semis that it was cancerous.

Jon is the BGT 2020 champion (ITV)

And then, the day before the BGT Christmas special was filmed, Jon had had the operation to remove the mole and arrived with a huge bandage on his head and still feeling "a little groggy".

He was still reluctant to tell producers about his diagnosis and instead told them he had a head wound.

Wardrobe then created his Santa hat to wear on stage so nobody could see the bandage he was hiding.

"Thank goodness it was Christmas!" he joked.

"I had this big blue sponge stapled to my head; it looked like a proper Frankenstein thing stuck on!"

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